Listen to Gabrielle Aplin's Light Up the Dark - exclusive album stream

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Back in 2012 you could not escape an infectious cover version of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s The Power of Love. It featured on the John Lewis Christmas advert, was on heavy rotation on television and radio, and topped the charts around the world.

Now, three years later, its singer, Gabrielle Aplin is releasing her second album, Light Up the Dark.

The album, released on September 18, is the follow-up to her 2013 LP English Rain, and you can listen to our exclusive stream of itbelow:

The new album was inspired by Joni Mitchell and the production on The Reminder album by indie artist Feist.

“Her voice is just here, right at the front, and everything sits around it perfectly,” says Aplin. “I’ve also become much more comfortable writing songs about other people’s stories as well as my own, much of which is inspired by travelling and everything I’ve seen since my first album.”

The album, the follow-up to Aplin’s 2013 debut LP English Rain, sees her team up with members of Irish folk-rockers Hudson Taylor and blues rock band The Temperance Movement.

Both intimate and expansive, the songs, some of which Aplin says “are technically the demos”, have the feel of being written from the head and the heart.

Among the album’s highlights are the synthesised brass stabs and pounding piano track Skeleton; Fools Love, which was inspired by a Christmas trip to New Orleans; Shallow Love, a gospel-inspired ballad; and Heavy Heart, a bluesy groove.

Gabrielle Aplin

“I’ve just seen stuff, and I wanted to write about more stuff,” explains Aplin.

“The more you play the better you get.

I did English Rain and then I went on tour for months and months. I got better at electric guitar, I got better at piano, and I got better at writing. I met musicians and I hung out more. All of that was so good and useful when it came to writing and recording this one.”

Before signing to Parlophone Records, Aplin set up her own label to release music aged 15. But her breakthrough came at the age of just 19 with her interpretation of The Power of Love for that John Lewis Christmas advert.

“I really love how music and film can go together,” says Aplin, who also conceptualises all of her videos and artwork, “That’s why I did the John Lewis advert.”

“I love putting music to film, and seeing what can come out of that combination. So I wanted to see if I could do more with that than just that advert.”

Aplin was recently signed up by the Storm modelling agency. This is another area where she wants to maintain her artistic integrity.

“It’s not like I want to go and be a model or anything. They’ll only ever book me to do something that reflects me and fits my music."